The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Betty Boop: Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Once again, we journey into what (by today's standards) seems the weird world of early animation.  In this 1930 Betty Boop cartoon, she is working as a housekeeper, and takes a baby for a stroll.  While in the park, a lecherous cop played by Bimbo puts the moves on her, accidentally pushing the baby carriage down the hill into a mini-adventure for the precocious tot.  Throw in an ethnic stereotype, a sing-along of a romantic song featuring a very young Ethel Merman with a combination of texting abbreviations and rebuses for the lyrics, and some self-hatching chicks being chased by a singing cat, and there you have it.  From the Internet Archive, here is Let Me Call You Sweetheart

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